Introduction
Public
speaking or delivering a speech in front of public in a good way is really
important in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class. The EFL learners should
realize that the way people speak or present in front of public will affect the
audience whether to pay attention or ignore the speech. One of the challenges for
public speakers that the EFL learners have to know is using fillers while
speaking. Normally, public speakers use fillers to give time on their own to
think of what they have to say while delivering speech. However, using too many
fillers while delivering a speech in front of public will reduce the
credibility of the speakers (Mitchell, 2009). On the other words, the speakers
seem not credible since the way of they deliver speech does not ensure the
audience to trust. As the bad effect, the audience will not believe in what the
speakers convey. This essay sees that it is a fact using fillers in public
speaking and it is important to reduce them. Based on the problem of using too
many fillers in public speaking, this essay will try to discuss the solution of
reducing fillers while delivering a speech in front of public for EFL learners.
Public
Speaking and Fillers
Public
speaking is one of subjects in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) that the
learners should master. This subject is related to the speaking skill which is
important to be mastered since speaking is one of the aspects that should be
developed in EFL class. Public speaking is not easy to do. Morita and Adams in Shu-Hui
and Cadman (2009) said, “It is well known that giving oral presentation or
public speaking in English is not a simple matter of learning language and
following instructions; rather, it is a skill requiring complex sociolinguistic
as well as cognitive understandings, especially for learners of English as
Foreign Language.” It means that there are some rules that the learners should
understand before delivering speech in front of public.
One
of the rules of public speaking that must not be avoided is the use of fillers.
The writer defines fillers as moments of silence during delivering speech. Fitzhugh (2011) defines fillers as
dreadful sounds and words that speakers usually use to buy them time when they
cannot think of what else to say while delivering a speech. Fillers can be in a
form of words, such as uh, um, and well. Furthermore, there are still a lot of example of common
fillers that the speakers usually to say. Fripp (2012) lists some common
fillers which are listed in this table below.
|
Um
|
Right
|
Okay
|
Like
|
Hmmm
|
|
Uh-huh
|
cool
|
yeah
|
Really
|
Uh
|
|
All
right
|
Is
that so
|
I
mean
|
Basically
|
That’s
interesting
|
|
Good
answer
|
You
know
|
I
hear you
|
Seriously
|
This
means
|
|
I’ve
heard of that
|
I
know
|
Surely
not
|
Well
|
So
|
Public
speaking and fillers are two things which are hard to be separated. The speakers,
in this case are EFL learners, tend to use fillers when they do not know what
else to say while they are delivering speech. It might be caused by the
condition of the speakers, for example, when the speakers are lack of
preparation of what to say and when the speakers have not been ready to speak
in front of public. Those conditions potentially lead the speakers feel
uncomfortable and nervous while standing and trying to deliver a speech.
The
Importance of Reducing Fillers
It is annoying for
most listeners when listening to the speakers who speak with too many fillers. Caffrey
(2012) gives some examples of speaking with too many fillers:
Example 1: "I… um… wanted
to… um… talk today about… uh… the marketing report for the fourth
quarter."
Example 2: "Do you, like, want to hear,
like, a story about what happened?"
Example 3: "Um… This book was very
important for a long time, know what I mean? The author was heralded across the
continent, know what I mean? It was an exciting time… do you know what I
mean?"
Based on the examples above, fillers most
occur at the beginning of utterances or phrases. Corley and Stewart (2004) said,
“Hesitation phenomena such as fillers are most likely to occur at the beginning
of an utterance or phrase, presumably as a consequence of the greater demand on
planning processes at these junctures.” It is also clear from the examples that
speaking with too many fillers makes the point that the speakers want to convey
is hard to grasp by the audience. It is not a problem if the speakers use fillers
but not too often. Speaking with too many fillers will reduce speakers’
credibility in conveying message orally in front of public (Genard, 2010). As
EFL learners, the speakers need to deal with all conditions that potentially
lead them to use fillers. As the positive effect, they can deliver a speech
well and make the audience understand everything they convey. Below are some
ways that the EFL learners can do to reduce the use of fillers in public
speaking.
How to
Reduce Fillers
1. Cover
a pause while speaking. Pause in public speaking is good things. The EFL
learners should use the pause wisely or not too long. Pause is better to allow audience to reflect
on the important point the speakers have just made. Genard (2010) said, “A
presentation or speech without pauses is like a 100-car freight train going by
at a railroad crossing: it’s endless and boring. Listeners need a mental rest
now and then. Pauses accomplish that.” While doing a pause, the speakers should
think of what else they have to convey quickly. So, it must not take a long
time for a pause. Consequently, the learners need to practice delivering speech
and avoid using fillers; As EFL learners, they need to practice it more.
2. Take
a breath. One way to avoid using fillers while speaking is taking a breath. It
is related to the use of pause since while taking a breath means that the
speakers use a pause. It will give the speakers time to think of what they have
to say. By doing this, the audience will not feel annoyed than doing fillers (Fitzhugh,2011).
3. Practice
with tape recorder or video camera. Another thing that EFL learners can do to
practice how to be public speakers who do not use too many fillers is
practicing with tape recorder or video camera. Since speaking fluently is a
matter of habit, the speakers need to practice a lot. Practicing with tape
recorder or video camera will be helpful to improve the skill of being good
public speakers. First of all, the learners need to deliver speech and record
their own speech. Second, they need to look back at what they have done, do
they know whether they still use a lot of fillers or not. If they still use a
lot of fillers, they need to practice their speech more by recording until they
are lack of fillers in their speech (Latz, 2008).
4. Have
a practice with friends. Practicing speech with friends will also helpful for
the learners to deal with the problem. Each of the learners can warn each other
whenever one of them use fillers many times in their speech. Genard (2012)
said:
“Have
a practice session in which a friend or colleague helps you with the problem.
The person should listen to you speak while giving an auditory cue each time
you use your favorite vocal filler — tapping on the table, ringing a small
bell, that sort of thing. Each time you hear the cue you must stop and start
that sentence over. Personally, I would try the first two options before
undertaking this one, because you might find it too frustrating. And for
goodness sake, don’t choose a member of your family to do this exercise with!”
However, the removal of
using fillers is a gradual process. The learners can start to avoid using
fillers by making a conscious effort to not use vocal fillers during delivering
speech. The more they practice, the more effort they do, the more result they
get. Eliminating verbal fillers needs to be a conscious process. EFL learners’ effort
to eliminate fillers from the entire speech will work as well as their good practice
(Kitagawa, Watanabe,& Kumaki, 2009).
Conclusion
Public speaking and the use of fillers cannot be
separated from EFL learners. EFL learners need to know how to deliver a good
speech as one of their competence skills in EFL class. Covering a pause while
speaking, taking a breath for a while, practicing with tape recorder or video
camera, and having a practice with friends are some easy ways to help EFL
learners deal with the problem. In brief, those ways can be done by the EFL
learners to improve their skill in public speaking without or less fillers. Decreasing
fillers cannot be done in an instant way; it need process and time since it is
a matter if habit. In conclusion, the more practice will lead the EFL learners
to be a good in public speaking.
References
Caffrey,A. (2012). Removing Unnecessary "Fillers" from Your Speaking.
Retrieved from http://www.publicspeakingexpert.co.uk/removing-unnecessary-fillers-from-your-speaking.html
Corley, M. & Stewart, O.W. (2004). Hesitation
disfluencies in spontaneous speech:
Fitzhugh, S. (2011). Avoiding Filler Words or Sounds. Retrieved from http://crystalteatoastmasters.org/2011/11/public-speaking-tip-sheet-1-avoiding-filler-words/
Fripp,P .(2012). How to Improve Your Public Speaking – Remove Filler Words.
Retrieved from http://www.fripp.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-public-speaking-remove-filler-words/
Genard, G. (2010). Like, Eliminating “uh’s,” “um’s,” and Other Vocal Fillers.
Retrieved from http://www.publicspeakinginternational.com/articles/bid/64697/Like-Eliminating-uh-s-um-s-and-Other-Vocal-Fillers
Kitagawa,A., Watanabe,A.,& Kumaki, H.
(2009). A Path to developing oral
proficiency: Speaking rate, silent pauses and fillers. Retrieved from http://paaljapan.org/conference2011/ProcNewest2011/pdf/poster/P-1.pdf
Latz, J. (2008). How to Reduce Filler Words. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Reduce-Filler-Words&id=4409595
Shu-Hui, Y & Cadman,K. (2009). EFL learners’ connection with audience in
oral presentations: The significance of frame and person markers. Retrieved
from http://www.tesol.org.au/files/files/97_Yu.Cadman3.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment